Our easy, speedy frozen chocolate pie recipe tastes like ice cream pie crossed with chocolate mousse. Mix the filling in one bowl, pour it in the crust and chill it. The icy dessert is perfect for the hottest summer days, but irresistible any time.
As a busy parent, if I’m making a homemade dessert, I need it to tick all the boxes: delicious, quick and versatile. This recipe for frozen chocolate pie knocks these requirements out of the park. The simple filling calls for silky cream cheese, rich cocoa powder and store-bought frozen whipped topping. Mix up the one-bowl recipe and tip it into a pie crust (as always, store-bought is fine!). Then, it’s off to the freezer to chill. A sprinkle of chocolate chips is a speedy finishing touch. The dessert tastes like an ice cream pie, but the filling is airier, more like a mousse.
Since this frozen treat keeps well in the freezer, frozen chocolate mousse pie is a great recipe to make ahead. Pull it out next time you need a dessert for a dinner party or a potluck. It’s a sure-fire favorite.
Frozen Chocolate Pie Ingredients
Cream cheese: Cream cheese is the base of so many desserts for good reason. It has the perfect balance of richness and tanginess, and it makes an ultra-smooth filling. You can use full-fat or low-fat, whichever you prefer.
Sugar: Simple granulated sugar easily dissolves into the filling.
Vanilla extract: Aromatic vanilla adds an extra element of flavor. Use a good-quality brand of vanilla extract for the best taste.
Baking cocoa: Since most of the chocolate flavor in this pie comes from cocoa, use a delicious brand of cocoa.
Milk: Milk thins the filling to make it mousse-like and light rather than dense and heavy. You can use whole, 2%, skim or nondairy milk.
Frozen whipped topping: Airy, frothy whipped topping is sturdier than homemade whipped cream, so the pie will keep its light texture even if stored in the freezer for a few days or weeks.
Pie pastry: Picking up a premade crust at the store couldn’t be easier. You can also make a simple homemade pie crust. If making one from scratch, you’ll need to blind bake it first.
Chocolate curls or semisweet chocolate chips: To make this an extra-decadent chocolate dessert, garnish the pie with chocolate curls cut from a large block or with semisweet chips.
Directions
Step 1: Make the filling
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add the cocoa alternately with the milk and mix well. Fold in the whipped topping.
Editor’s Tip: Stirring in the full amount of cocoa can make it clump, so we alternate a bit of cocoa and a bit of milk. Folding rather than stirring helps preserve the air in the whipped topping.
Step 2: Fill the pie and chill
Pour the cream cheese mixture into the pie shell. Smooth the top with a spatula. Freeze for eight hours or overnight.
Step 3: Serve
Serve the pie directly from the freezer; it doesn’t need to be thawed to slice. Garnish with chocolate curls or chips and add whipped topping or whipped cream if desired.
A chocolate cream pie in a metal dish, topped with chocolate shavings. One slice is cut and being lifted with a pie server onto a plate nearby. The filling looks creamy and swirled.
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